New Somalia election talks collapse

Another round of talks to resolve Somalia’s election deadlock ended without a deal in Mogadishu Wednesday.

Somali Information Minister Osman Dubbe blamed leaders of Puntland and Jubbaland regional governments for the failure of the talks.

“The Federal government of Somalia is making clear to Somali people that the leaders of Somalia’s regional States Puntland and Jubbaland are not willing to hold elections in this country based on the Sept. 17th agreement and the Feb. 16th agreement,” Dubbe said at a press conference.

The negotiations collapsed as the international community pressed Somali President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmaajo and leaders of federal states to reach a deal.

Contentious issues include the formation of the electoral commission, the selection of commission members for the breakaway region of Somaliland, and the crisis in the Somalia-Kenya border region of Gedo.

Critics accuse Farmaajo, who is seeking a second term, of delaying the election to extend his current mandate.

Farmaajo’s mandate officially expired in February.

Jubbaland leader Ahmed Madobe is opposed to Mogadishu overseeing the elections in his region. He wants to be allowed to appoint his own electoral committee.

Farmajo has rejected the proposal.

The electoral impasse has plunged Somalia into a political crisis. There is concern that terrorist group Al Shabab might exploit the disagreement to further undermine the already fragile security of the Horn of Africa.